My cat was killed on the road - how can i find out who is responsible?

Question

My poor 2 1/2 yr old Bengal male was killed on Sunday 23rd September. He leaves behind a sister who misses him like crazy.
He was left for dead in the road and wasn't moved out of the road until my neighbour went to get his paper around 7 am.
No one informed me until 8 am, by which time, it was all too late.
I am so gutted, the pain is still raw and i don't have anyone to blame as i didn't witness what happened.
How can i go about finding out who was responsible without canvassing?
We don't live on a main road, it's an access only road. It was a quiet sunday morning, you could hear the church bells ringing in the distance. So someone must know what they did!
I could cope better if they'd just stopped, for 5 seconds, and moved him from the road.
I don't feel as though i can move on until i find out who did this to my poor baby... :(

Answer 1

I'm very sorry for your loss, it's heartbreaking to lose a loved one (especially so young) and it hurts like hell. I imagine that a large part of your anger, is perhaps because you did not get the chance to say goodbye to him.

Please try to accept his death for what it was - a tragic accident. Looking for someone to blame will not help ease your pain, it will just prolong your anger. Even if you located the driver of the vehicle, there is no legal action you can take against them. This is the double-edged sword of UK legislation concerning cats. They cannot be prosecuted for trespass, but drivers are not obliged to report traffic accidents involving cats.

I hope that you have family or a good friend to talk to and a shoulder to cry on when needed. Perhaps you might want to dedicate a memorial to him on the Rainbow Bridge website. Cats grieve too, and his sister may need a lot of reassurance from you to help her cope with his sudden absence as she is already showing signs of missing him. The web articles below, may help you both at this very sad time.

http://www.messybeast.com/cat-grief.htm
http://www.perfectmemorials.com/articles/pet-loss/breaking-the-power-of-guilt/

Try to bear in mind that cats have no concept of future time nor life span. They live for the here and now. What matters most to them is quality of life not quantity. You clearly loved your cat very much and though his life may have been short, take comfort from knowing that it was filled with much love and happiness. Some poor cats never experience what it is to have a caring owner.

Answer 2

Whoever said that people do not hit cats on purpose is very wrong. One of my friends saw a cat crossing a road. A car was coming. The driver saw the cat and sped up. It hit the cat, spinning the cat across the road. My friend was horrified. Due to spinal damage, the cat had to be euthanized. Unfortunately, instances of animal cruelty are on the rise in America. Didn't anyone here read about the escalation of abuse of farm animals? Kids driving by farms and shooting the livestock? We are living in a very sick world. This is why it is so important to keep our cherished pets indoors or extremely well supervised. They can get hit, get stolen...etc. I am sorry for your loss. The chances of finding out who did it are probably less than remote. The police will not care. Grief is natural. Learning from our mistakes are also good. Never let another animal outdoors. Best of luck to you.

Answer 3

I don't blame you for feeling angry. Your kitty probably didn't do anything different from his normal daily routine. I am sorry for the loss of your pet.
Unfortunately, you may not ever know what car hit your cat as it is very likely the driver was unaware of it. It sounds as though he was hit during the dark hours of the morning which would make it very difficult to find anything even if the driver was aware of a hit.
I found a neighbors pet off the road once returning home from an event at night. The animal was black but I saw him just because my headlights shown on him just right.
There are many pet owners who share in your sorrow. I lost my gentle giant of a GSD this summer & the house feels empty without him. Try to remember how sweet he was & try not to alienate any of your neighbors. I hope this helps. Peace.

Answer 4

I'm sorry for your loss honey it must be hard, but there is no way to find out who hit your cat, the only way is to ask around, the pain is still raw but I'm sure the person who did this is feeling guilty, i would be, yes they were wrong to just leave your cat there but if you are in Britain there is no responsibility to inform the police that you have hit a cat, wrong as it is people just don't think that the cat belongs to someone and is a much loved pet, I'm am sorry you are in so much pain but it will get easier instead of directing your hate at the heartless person who did this pour all your energy into the sister he left behind i am sure at this time she is hurting as much as you and trying to find someone will not bring your much loved pet back. your other cat needs you, hope you happier soon

Answer 5

firstly may i say how sorry i am over the loss of what sounded like a very loved pet,and member of the family. i have a cat myself,and cant imagine how i would feel if someone had left our little poppy for dead. I'm very sorry hunny,but unless someone owns up to running your cat over, i don't think you have much chance in finding out who was responsible. it is possible that the person who ran him over might not of even noticed that they have. especially if they drive one of those horrid 4X4's as they are so big and bulky. once again i am so sorry that you have lost your beloved pet. i really hope someone has the decency to own up to what they have done. take care. warmest regards xxx to all those that were nasty to this poor woman asking a sensitive question,why bother answering if your going to be nasty. this is supposed to be a FRIENDLY web site,or had you forgotten that. this poor woman has just lost a beloved pet. show some compassion and don't be so heartless. there is no need to be so cruel to other users.

Answer 6

Regardless of the law its plain inhumane to hit an animal and leave it.
Perhaps the person involved didn't realise they'd hit it, I hope they didnt because if they did thats plain evil.
I am sorry for your loss, and as for the person that said why was the cat out - get a grip its a cat not a godamn hamster - cats are independant outgoing animals they shouldnt be locked up all the time!
You probably will never know I am sorry to say. Rest assured your kitty is in a better place now and he's safe. x

Answer 7

I feel very badly for you and know how aweful you must feel...

Just keep a couple things in mind..

IF your neighbor found your cat around 7, the accident could have happened much earlier, while it was still pitch dark.. The driver might have not even seen what he hi very well, and could have chosen to assume/hoped it was a racoon or possum and not someone's beloved pet.. He might have felt aweful, and didn't know what to do or was too embarrased to go back and investigate..

I know you feel horrible, but you can't blame the driver.. These things happen.. Animals run in front of cars and the driver has no time to do anything to avoid the accident..

THis is one major reason my cats are strictly indoors.. most people agree it's better for the cats.. You have to accept that if you let your cat outside you are taking multiple risks.. If you chose to gamble, you can't be surprised if you lose..

RIP.

You may not want to hear this now, but the best thing for you and your girl kitty is a new kitty to give love and companionship, not right away, of course.. but in time.. Saving the life of another cat is how your boy would want you to honor his memory..

Answer 8

It could be someone didn't realise they had killed your cat but then again ... I'm sure they'd have felt something. Could also be that someone is too much of a coward to own up to you.

My friend had a cat many years ago and he was killed same way. I know people will tell you 'It's only a cat' But to you it's more than just a pet. It's part of your family. As for your other cat well yes animals grieve too. So your other cat can't understand why his friend is not about any more.

Maybe you could make a couple of posters up, add a pic of your cat and ask if anyone has any information and if so, to let you know.

Sadly it could very well be that no one will know, or if anyone does! They won't tell you. This happens too.

Your emotions are raw at the moment and you're reached the stage of anger as you grieve. You want to do something, anything! And that is only natural. There are some rally good books about pet bereavement and it might help you to read one. This will reassure you that your feelings are totally natural. There is nothing wrong about grieving for a faithful companion.

You're in my thoughts because i too look upon my babies as i call them as family members. Mine are dogs, always were but then it makes no difference. Your cats mean as much to you as my dogs do to me.

If it helps to talk about it then feel free to contact me. Meanwhile take care and make a fuss of your other cat as he is grieving too and needs you to reassure him that you love him too.

Answer 9

So sorry to hear about the death of your cat. It will be impossible to find out who hit your cat and it will serve no purpose. I don't mean to sound cruel but you should not let your cats outside. It's a recipe for disaster, even if it's just an access road. When cats chase things, the last thing they're thinking about is oncoming traffic.

Again, my condolences, but you need to move on.

Answer 10

I feel awful for you! The loss of a pet is always hard. As for finding the person, I doubt it would do you much good. Many inconsiderate people out there think of cats who stray into the roads as roadkill and nothing more. I doubt that person is remorseful and even if you found them, they wouldn't understand the devastating impact it had on your family! Best of luck with your grieving process.